Chumash Casino Resort
THE BOTTOM PAYLINE: A trip to the wine country isn't complete without a stop at Chumash!
Address:
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3400 E. Hwy. 246 Santa Ynez, CA, 93460-0607
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Telephone: |
(800) 728-9997 (toll free), (805) 686-0855 (local) |
Website: |
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Map & Directions: |
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| Casino Size: | 190,000 sq. ft. |
| Slots: | 2,000 |
| Tables: | 40 |
| Restaurants: | 3 |
| Hotel: | Yes |
| Bar Available: | Yes |
| Non Smoking Area: | Yes |
| Legal Age: | 18 & over |
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Editor review
Moving Sideways Into The Winner's Circle
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
THE DRIVE: There's no arguing California's famous Highway 101 boasts one of the most scenic drives in the country, and it doesn't get much prettier than the stretch between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Rolling hills, world-renown horse ranches, exceptional wineries, Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch... and Chumash Casino Resort. Exit the 101 about 30 min. north of Santa Barbara at Buellton (Home of the famed "Anderson's Pea Soup Restaurant"), drive inland a few miles past Solvang (the quaint Danish-themed village made famous in the movie "Sideways"), and you'll arrive at a casino worthy of it's surroundings.
THE PARKING: Head straight for the covered garage. The bridge to the casino is a floor or two up... so you may want to park on the second level or third level.
THE CASINO: Let me just say, that Chumash was the first Indian casino I ever played at back when I was under 21 (they allow 18 & over). At that time, the entire casino was a single tent with a few blackjack tables... and some strange bingo-ish tab video machines they were trying to call "Slots." Since then, I've watched it evolve and expand: from additional tents, to a stunning new casino in 2003, to it's four diamond hotel opening in 2004.
Chumash has always had a friendly small-town vibe, which has thankfully stayed intact. The current casino has a great variety of slots (lots of pennies!), video poker and keno. Table games include Blackjack, 3 & 4 card poker, and Let It Ride. For you poker players, Chumash has a 24 hour Poker Room with 5 card poker, Omaha High/Low, Hold 'em and weekly tournaments.
DRINKER'S NOTE: Since the age of entry is 18, there is no liquor service on the casino floor. They do, however, have a bar in the hotel and restaurants.
JACKPOT STORY: I must make mention that last October I was there on a Monday when they have a "Fiesta Mexicana Mondays" promotion. Keep your player card in a machine and they draw names to win cash prizes every hour. To my surprise, I actually heard MY NAME over the loudspeaker! A few minutes later, a woman came by to present me with 5 hundred dollar bills and a box of Hot Tamales! It made my night.
THE FOOD: We've never had a meal in their high end restaurant, but the Café is delicious. They also have a tasty snack bar in their giant Bingo Room.
THE SPA: Haven't tried it, we've been too busy gambling!
THE HOTEL: The hotel is new and beautiful. A little pricey ($150-$200 weekdays) but worth it if you don't want to drive back into Solvang.
THE STAFF: Very friendly and considerate... the host even comped our room on a Monday because the hotel wasn't booked up.
THE ODDS: With a bankroll averaging $300, we've often left even or way up. And even when we don't... I'm eagerly planning my next trip back.
THE PAYLINE: If you play your cards right, you can make a fabulous weekend getaway to the wine country complete at Chumash Casino Resort.
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| Overall rating: |
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9.5 |
| Location: |
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10.0 |
| Atmosphere: |
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10.0 |
| Hotel/Area Lodgings: |
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10.0 |
| Crowds: |
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8.0 |
| Food: |
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9.0 |
| Hospitality: |
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10.0 |
| Cashier Service: |
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10.0 |
| Waitress Service: |
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9.0 |
| Maintenance: |
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10.0 |
| Cleanliness: |
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10.0 |
| Air Quality: |
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9.0 |
| Parking Lot: |
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10.0 |
| Players Club: |
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9.0 |
| Promotions: |
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10.0 |
| Table Games: |
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9.0 |
| Slot Variety: |
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10.0 |
| Slot Availability: |
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9.0 |
| Slot Service: |
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10.0 |
| Slot Payback: |
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9.0 |
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User reviews
Easy drive, Nice hotel, GREAT concert venue
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
This was the first CA Indian Casino I visited.
It's been about a year or so since we stayed overnight there, but the surroundings are more up scale than I had expected, (but I didn't know then that it was 4 star rated)
There aren't a lot of rooms, which was OK since we had made reservations a month or more prior.
The rooms were nice enough but overall what I'd consider basic. They had only an armoire for hanging clothes not a full closet (it was a little cramped since I'm not a light packer and we were there for 2 or 3 days) & either an ironing board was in place or they provided one quickly.
I'd say the rooms are comparable to a Hampton Inn. However, the rooms at a Hampton all provide a microwave & a fridge. My biggest complaint (other than the closet space) probably was that they didn't provide a fridge. {maybe they have corrected that since then} And since there wasn't a lot available in restaturant choices and hours, unless you wanted to drive the 30 miles back into SOLVANG, a fridge and some sort of all hours snack shop, or even sandwich shop or machines would have been nice. Since we had driven down there we did have snacks & things that had to be stored in an ice chest since no fridge was provided & that was sort of a pain to have to drain & restock that oover the course of a few days.
The room we had was a King and there is a love seat and coffee table and small round table & chairs I believe next to the bed; we requested a patio room and it had a small table & chairs also on the balcony. If you are a smoker there is no smoking allowed in the rooms, but it's Ok on the patio. The rooms are totally quite even thought the gaming floor was only a short stroll away.
There was mention of cocktails in the hotel, and this might have changed since we were there, but if not this statement is a little misleading. The only cocktails provided in the hotel was a "happy hour get together held in a special room for hotel guests only from like 5-7 only. However, the nice thing was that it was a comfy room with a bar and lots of sofas and comfy chairs & they provided a very nice spread of hot appetizers which they kept restocked quickly and there was no charge for the alcohol or the drinks, it was included with the room price (I think was about $179/nite at that time). ANd it gave you a chance to meet some new people if you wanted to strike up a conversation. {they have a "greeter" which verifies your name & room number before you go in.}
The only other place where they serve alcohol is in the high end restaurant. Which we dined at and it was quite good. {We're from the Monterey/Carmel area so our expectations & experiences with superb dining might make us tougher to impress) However, the service there was definitely top notch, both our waiter and the presence of management on scene, wanted to make sure every thing was to our likeing. he restaturant was not crowded when we dined there, but we tend to pick a later dining time probably than most.
I wasn't very impressed with their buffet style restaurant, it was ok, the food tasted fine, and selection was mediocre. I don't recall being able to order alcohol there. Maybe you could & we just didn't.
The air quality in the casino was very good. My husband thought they didn't allow smoking in there until I pointed out all the people that were smoking.
We also attended a concert there and LOVE the venue for a concert, it is small, and the sound quality was excellent. We saw ZZ Top and it was great! There isn't a bad seat in the house, & they prvovide free bottled water and coffee. I think the room only holds like 1500, but it took less than 15 min tops to exit after the concert. And even though no seat seemed too far away from the stage there were large closed citrcuit screens at each side of the stage.
I saw the parking garage, however we used Valet parking, so I can't comment too much on it other than it seems it was 3 or 4 stories and did provide a covered walkway form there into the casino and was not a long walk.
We didn't fare too well with winning that night, but on a previous visit my husband hit a $1300 jackpot on a slot machine in pretty fast order, and since he had his "patience" hat on opted against waiting in line for the cashier and sat down at another slot near the line to the cashier and hit another $1000 slot pot. He happily gave it all back to them while we were there :). I found the slots and the tables overall to be a bit tight, but I was able to go for a while at some of the poker slots with out digging into my pocket, and they have a LOT of poker slot machines but they are kinda all over in a corner & I didn't seem to find them right away, they had a poker room also although it was closed when we were there. My recollection is that there were only a few $5 tables, and they have a LOT of really odd table games other than 21. They didn't have any Carribean Stud tables however, & most of the other table games they had I had never heard of, maybe they are common in the Indian Casinos though. {I play a LOT of card and board games, and lived at SLake Tahoe for a few years.} Space at the lower limit 21 tables was few and seldom available.
I tried a few of what seemed would be simpler games, but found the rules many, & odd, and since they were an unknown for me, The % of advantage to the player was unknown to me, and appeared to be heavily slanted toward the house, but maybe that's just because I didn't fare well at any of them. I didn't see nor was I offered any sort of "booklet" explaining these games, their odds, and rules as being available. If so, that might has enhanced the experience. As it was I had to rely on the brief explanantion provided by the dealer and the few prompts printed on the felt.
The convenience of staying in the hotel was worth the cost, both for the gaming and the concert, but in the Casino, there are more restrictions that you might be used to if you are used to Nevada Casinos, and it didn't seem that large, but made it easy to find someone if U split up. The drive was really easier & didn't take as long as we had expected & it was easy to find places to stop at along the way.
All in all a GREAT place to attend a concert (but don't expect to be able to get front row seats we were told those are reserved for the elders of the tribe.) The one fine dining option was sufficient, the rooms are clean, and extremely quiet, the service was great in the hotel & restarant. And in the Casino, as always, you win some and you lose some . :) Some of the dealers were more sociable than others, but the others were just quite, not rude or evasive.
It's not close enough for us to take advantage of much in the way of the promotions.
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Don't bet big on the slots
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
I like betting the max and this casino, as do most, will gladly take your money are very reluctant to give it back. I recommend to start a small side business instead.
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Friendly Service and winning slots
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
I've been a fan of Chumash for years, and in the past few it has really upped its' game. the slots are great, lots of different games and denominations. this was the first time i saw Pyramid of Kings and played one machine for hours. My friend had to pry me off. I always stay even (ish) and when i do lose it's not much. The staff is very warm, and the rooms are lovely. Highly recommended!
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Details for Chumash Casino Resort
Address:
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3400 E. Hwy. 246 Santa Ynez, CA, 93460-0607
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Telephone: |
(800) 728-9997 (toll free), (805) 686-0855 (local) |
Website: |
|
Map & Directions: |
|
| Casino Size: | 190,000 sq. ft. |
| Slots: | 2,000 |
| Tables: | 40 |
| Restaurants: | 3 |
| Hotel: | Yes |
| Bar Available: | Yes |
| Non Smoking Area: | Yes |
| Legal Age: | 18 & over |
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